Office on Missing Persons powers to be reduced

The Office on Missing Persons is to be stripped of its power of entering into agreements with an individual or an organization.

The Office on Missing Persons Act was passed in Parliament on August 23, 2016.

Media Minister Gayantha Karunathillake said on Wednesday that the Cabinet had on Tuesday approved a proposal by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to repeal paragraph (A) of Article 11 of the Office on Missing Persons (Establishment, Administration and Discharge of Functions) Act No 14 of 2016, which authorised the office to enter into agreements with an individual or an organization in performing its tasks.

Accordingly the Legal Draftsman had been instructed to prepare the draft amendment for presentation to Parliament, he noted.

Karunathillake said that the Cabinet also approved a proposal by Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, to award the contract for procurement of consultancy services for renovation of the railway track from Maho to Omanthai, to the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau.